Meet 2018’s Black Candidates For Governor

Some have a real shot of winning.

There have been two African Americans elected governor in the United States. At least one of the (numerous) Black candidates running for governor in 2018 is bound to seriously compete given the pushback against President Donald Trump that was seen in the 2017 election cycle.

In Maryland, two Black candidates are competing in the Democratic primary. A poll released on Thursday indicates that about 47 percent of Democrats are undecided, but one of the African-American hopefuls has a slight edge over his opponents.

Some of the Black people running for governor have national name recognition, like Stacey Abrams in Georgia, while others are less known.

Here, a list of Black candidates running for governor in 2018:

Florida

In the Sunshine State, Andrew Gillum, who was elected the first Black mayor of Tallahassee in 2014, is polling in third place in the Democratic primary race. He has 9 percent of the vote behind the two frontrunners, who are tied at 12 percent each.

Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum stands defiantly with Florida State students as they prepare to march down College Avenue towards the Florida Capitol Building to protest gun violence. pic.twitter.com/u7IWb1NaBC

Stacey Abrams is one of two Democratic candidates running for governor of this red state. In 2010, she became the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African American to lead in the House of Representatives. If elected governor, Abrams, an attorney, would be Georgia’s first African-American governor. She’s considered the “nominal favorite” to win the primary.

This is Tio Hardiman’s second run for Illinois governor. He competed in the 2014 Democratic primary and won 28.1 percent of the Democratic vote and 30 counties. This time, he’s in fourth place with 1.73 percent of the vote, in a primary contest in which 37.95 percent of Democratic voters are undecided. Meanwhile the Democratic frontrunner, J.B. Pritzker, is embroiled in a racial controversy.

In Maryland, 47 percent of Democrats said in the most recent poll that they’re undecided. Rushern Baker, however, leads Democrats with 19 percent of the prospective vote. Former NAACP president, Ben Jealous, is in third place in the poll with 10 percent.

Today, I released a new policy, The Pathway to Medicare For All, which focuses on enrolling more Marylanders into existing programs and cutting future costs for a Medicare For All system in Maryland. Read it here: https://t.co/jbreKZIfvZ

Black candidates in Michigan appear to be longshots to win the Democratic primary, as they are not even in the conversation. William Cobb is a retired Xerox executive who wants to improve K-12 education and the state’s infrastructure. Kentiel White, a former Detroit police officer, is focused on community redevelopment, among other issues.

Larry Ealy, a former exotic dancer, earned 17 percent of the vote in the 2014 Democratic primary. In 2018, he’s not expected to get nearly that many votes.

Is Ohio the only state where someone whose stripper name was "Luscious Larry" was actually on the ballot for governor? Larry Ealy got 17 percent of the vote in the 2014 Democratic primary and he plans to run again. https://t.co/REhjZKaPyU

1. Malcolm X Speaks

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2. Malcolm X On The Media

#Quotes “If you are not careful, the newspaper will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing” - Malcolm X (700*414) pic.twitter.com/srtgRu9fAV

3. Malcolm X On Political Paries

To these MAGA idiots:

Before y’all try to use Malcolm X quotes on #MLKDay , remember to use the full quote, not just nitpick to fit YOUR agenda. Malik Shabazz was a supporter of neither the Democratic or Republican parties. pic.twitter.com/OhfSx39FAX